The 2026 season will likely be a learning experience for many members of the Miami Dolphins. Aside from having a rookie head coach and general manager, the team underwent a youth movement this offseason, which also led to many rookies being relied upon during their first season.
While Kadyn Proctor was Miami’s first rookie selected during the 2026 NFL Draft, perhaps expectations are higher for Miami’s other first-round pick, Chris Johnson. Johnson, who the Dolphins moved up for in the draft, is expected to play a big role on Miami’s defense during his rookie season; however, some of his recent performances have been called out by an NFL analyst.
Miami Dolphins Rookie Called Out
Miami Herald beat writer Omar Kelly posted on X: “Chris Johnson just had a disastrous 1 on 1 day. He’s got a lot of technique work to do. Use your hands young man.”
This is not the first time Kelly has been critical of Johnson. During a previous appearance on The Dolphins Collective show, Kelly said of Johnson, “He’s not thick, he’s not tall. He has decent movement skills. You can tell, small-school players have much more to learn from a fundamentals standpoint. And you can tell, based on the way they’re coaching him, he’s got plenty to learn.”
Despite Johnson’s difficult practice session, he is still expected to be an immediate contributor for the Dolphins. After losing their top two cornerbacks, Jack Jones Jr. and Rasul Douglas, in free agency, Johnson joined an inexperienced secondary.
Aside from the obvious difficulty of being called upon to be an impact starter as a rookie, Johnson is also learning two different positions at once during training camp.
Miami Herald’s Isaiah Smalls wrote of Johnson’s role: “At times, the rookie defensive back will be with the nickels and safeties. Or, he might be with the outside cornerbacks. It’s delicate process that could confuse the average practice-watchers but for Johnson, it’s just part of his adjustment to the NFL.”
That role might resemble what Minkah Fitzpatrick did for the Dolphins last season, as he lined up as both a cornerback and safety during the 2025 season. After Fitzpatrick was traded this offseason, Johnson might have some big shoes to fill.
Chris Johnson’s Learning Experience
Regarding how he’s approaching this role, Johnson told reporters, “Honestly it’s still kind of in the works just because when I come on the field, the corner might think I’m coming to take him out or it’s just a little bit of confusion, but we just trying to get the comms, hand signals, whatever it is going, just so we could get everything right, make sure we have 11 players on the field.”
Fortunately for the Dolphins, it appears Johnson is growing into his role and gaining comfort, as he said, “I’ll say in OTAs, it was more like a switch, but now it’s not really a switch. It’s kind of just that’s what I’m playing at this moment. It’s really one and the same to me now. It’s starting to get more a lot more comfortable with it.”
Hopefully his difficult time during one-on-ones was simply a learning experience for the rookie. If not, Miami’s secondary might be in for a difficult time when the regular season comes around.
Dolphins Rookie Called Out During Training Camp: ‘Disastrous Day’